The only witness to the homicide of her mother, Aurora Williams hid the evidence left behind and took on a new identity as Misty Waterflower. Years later, she is forced to confront her mother's murderer with only a few friends at her side. AAML. Complete.

- I don't own Pokemon, but the idea of this fic was my own, minus the influence from such crime drama's as "Cold Case", "CSI", and "Law and Order".

Summary

- The only witness to the murder of Rose Williams, the eight year old girl hid the evidence left behind and took on a new identity. . . As Misty Waterflower. Now she is forced to confront her mother's killer with only a few friends at her side. Will they survive?

Rose Williams had been a Rocket for the notorious organization up until the day she found out that she was pregnant with her first and only child. She hadn't been an evil person, and so she'd requested the eligibility to leave the team permanently, knowing that such a place would negatively effect the growth of her offspring. However she was more than the average grunt and so she'd been denied.

Rose wasn't the type to accept her fate but she hadn't had much of a choice when she had unsuccessfully attempted to escape on her own. After caught, she was placed in incarceration with nothing left. She was fed twice a day, stale water and the most meager of meals. Sometimes she was lucky enough to have an understanding friend watch over her cell and she was handed a few extra scraps but, two months later, the facts were clear. . . She was becoming ill from malnutrition and, undoubtedly, her unborn child was going through the same.

With five months until her baby was due, Rose needed a break. She needed a sensible and safe pathway to freedom and, lucky for her, it soon approached.

Team Rocket had started working on a top-secretive project. As she was more competent than the rookies, word had traveled fast. The plan was hatched.

Though loyalty had always held strongly with her, she knew that she owed nothing to Giovanni or her fellow members, and so she betrayed them with no regrets. She lied her way out of her prison cell and helped them create something by the abbreviation of an "EAB". It was a deadly device and she knew that the world could, in time, be enslaved by it. But the product would take many years to complete. Nevertheless. she stole a copy of the manufacture disc and held it with her for every life that it was worth.

Three months to go until the birth and still unhealthy, Rose was out. It was at a price, however. Her best friend, who'd helped her go, had been caught. Giovanni would have been livid with her but not enough so as to kill her immediately. Unfortunately, he was a devilish type who loved to prolong the torture of his enemies and followers. Death was not the only thing that awaited her.

Yet Rose made it out to the small cape of Cerulean City. There she made friends with the local Gym Leaders, and their daughters, and there was also Bill, future creator of the Pokemon storage system. She lived a happy life through the birth of her baby daughter and through the girls' early childhood. It had been a cold, stormy day in October on the day of the parturition and so the infant was given the name Aurora Williams in order to retain warmth of character.

Over the years, it would seem that Rose's past life as a Rocket had escaped her, most like the receding memories of a terrifying nightmare, but it wasn't over yet.

They'd never even had a chance to relocate in order to prevent her daughter from viewing such a catastrophe. Rocket Executives barged into their home at around two a.m. on Aurora's birthday. They forced themselves upon the two females' and took the new eight year old captive. A strange weapon held to her young girls' head, Rose had no choice but to comply.

"What do you want from me!" She stood defiantly, watching the child's struggle to escape from the man's arms.

"We know that you fabricated a copy of the EAB project disc; you also fled from your position as a member of Team Rocket, supreme squad C-1. . . And you ask us why we've come to retrieve you. . . ?" The largest one stepped forward, "Honestly, Rose, where is your decency? How could you act so deliriously innocent? You're lucky that we haven't destroyed your world already. . ." He cocked the estranged gun and pointed it at the side of Aurora's head.

"N-no! Stop it, please! She's only a child!"

"The Rocket member code requires us to value no one's lives but our own. If this ratty child means so much to you, then why not just hand over the disc and come quietly?" Aurora couldn't understand what was going on. The only things that she was aware of were the fact that it was hard for her to breathe and that her mother was crying aloud.

Her adolescent mind could think of only one way to escape this situation. And, with that thought, Aurora bit down hard.

"Ow! Holy shit!" The lead Rocket dropped the red-haired rodent, who scrambled away, "You little brat. . . !" He held up the gun again, "If you think any scratches you've had hurt you, then you've never experienced pain. Welcome to the darkest corner of Hell. . . !"

Rose's eyes widened, "Aurora, run! Get out of here!"

The shout distracted the Team Rocket member long enough for the girl to follow her mothers directions. She ran from the house and down the cape towards the city, but, instead of heading for the gym, she turned away and en route to Mt. Moon. She could hear more footsteps behind her, signifying that the strangers were intent on her retrieval. She ran faster, straight into a patch of high grass. She stilled her breathing, hoping that it would be enough to hide herself successfully. The rain and wind swept up the cape lake around her and she was left to sit in silence, hoping that she would soon see her mother again.

Unable to tell the time, Aurora sat there unknowingly as the minutes swept by. Her exaggerating mind told her that it had been hours and her stomach growled with hunger. Her long would she have to stay here? Would her mother come get her anytime soon? The questions flittered through her useless mind as she settled herself deeper into her spot. . . Until she heard the rustling from behind her. Panicked, she jumped to her feet and began to step back. . . But that was her mistake.

"--There's the little bitch!" Came a shout from about ten feet away. She heard the pounding footfall of five pairs of feet, "Go, Beedrill!"

"Rattata!"

"Zubat!"

"Ekans!"

"Go, Koffing!"

She was surrounded. Aurora stumbled backwards again, this time towards the area of rustling from before. Parting the grass and shutting her eyes, the redhead awaited her fate.

"Zubat, use Supersonic! Confuse her so that she can't escape again!" A few seconds later, a strange wave swept over her, disabling her ability to move. She collapsed to the ground, her legs feeling somehow numb and liquidated, "That's right. . . Just let it go. . . You have nowhere to run. . . Wait; what's that. . . ?" A new sound had made its notice to them. It seemed much like the crowing of numerous angered birds.

She awoke sometime later, slightly oblivious to everything around her. Her face was so covered in mud that her eyes were barely visible, but they would have been dull and bare in any sense.

The thunder made her flinch but it wasn't enough to stop her from realizing that something was wrong. She ached all over from the bruises and scratches and she was still confused as to what had happened. . .

Where had those men gone? Hadn't she been surrounded by their Pokemon just before?

A stroke of lightning crackled against the skyline and Aurora turned. . . She'd heard something. Something sharp. And it was crippled by a scream.

"M-mama. . . !" She knew that shout, "Mommy, hold on!" She rushed back towards Cerulean City and up the cape towards her house. . . She was fifteen feet away when she heard the voices.

"It's a shame, Rose. You were a brilliant executive member and a profitable help to the association of our cause. You gave it all away for a rat of a child only to die here today by the very weapon you helped us create. A shame but, nonetheless, you've lived your worth." The many black-uniformed men jumped into the carrier basket of a Dragonite which then, in turn, took flight, "Goodbye."

Aurora took her chance as soon as they were out of sight and ran for the fallen heap laying on the family's doorstep that was her mother.

"Oh, mama--!" I'm sor--" She cut off as her knees hit the ground and her bruised arms attempted to wrap around the woman's shoulders but the elder flinched and pulled away in shock. Fresh tears were pouring down her face.

"Oh my God. . . T-they told me that the Spearow d-devoured you. . . ! Aurora, they said that t-they killed you and left your body for -- oh, I'm just so glad that you're okay. . . ! Ugh. . . !" A drop of blood crept over the curve of her bottom lip and she coughed up and into her palm, "L-listen, honey, I-I don't have much time. . . I-I need to give. . . You a-a couple of things. . . P-please, get me a knife. . . From the kitchen. . . Hurry. . ." Rose sighed and collapsed helplessly onto her back as softly as she could while her daughter ran through the back door into the house.

She didn't have much time left at all. . .

Aurora came back hardly half a minute later, walking cautiously with the large, sharp implement in her hand, wondering anxiously what her only parent planned to do with it.

"Now l-listen to me, baby. . ." Rose accepted the knife and held the cold steel to her chest, ". . . Your mom-my i-is going to have to go away for awhile. . . I-I don't know when w-we'll see each other again. . . B-but I need you to do. . . Something for me until we d-do. . . I-I have something that those men were looking for. . . T-they didn't find it and so. . . I-I need you to take it with you. . . Along with this. . ." And Rose, her eyes jammed so tightly shut that nothing could pain her anymore, it seemed, she drew the blade across her left shoulder-blade, unclotting the open wound that had been placed there minutes ago. She screeched in agony and her daughter followed suit.

"Mommy, stop. . . ! Please; I-I'll go call the police to help you! Just stop. . ." She broke off into loud tears and slammed an almost numb fist into the ground.

"There's no time. . . Now, here. . ." Aurora's mom pried a capsule-like bullet from her open and bleeding wound, her breath laboring worse than ever, and placed the scarlet-painted steel piece into a small box, "Please, honey, just. . . Just go down to the Waterflower home and. . . And give them. . . This. . ." She collapsed back to the ground again, her deep, shallow breathing becoming misty in the chilly early morning air. The most frightening part of the experience was watching the woman close her eyes as her inhaling slowed and her chest stilled, "I. . . Love you. . . Aurora. . ."

"Mommy. . . ? Mama, no. . . No!" The young girl held her mothers' blood-stained hands as her spirit faded away, "Please come back. . . Please? I-I. . ." She sniffled as she laid the body down, ". . .I'm sorry. . . I love you. . ." Her throat ached now and she knew that she'd better get inside before she became ill. She took the small box her mom had given her and held it to her heart before stumbling to her feet.

As though she were a snake, she slithered slowly and silently into town, exhausted from everything that had happened that day. The streets were empty and almost cold as her bare feet tripped over the rain water and cluttered cobble-stone.

She reached the door soundly and gave a feeble knock before turning her back and sitting against the door. She was dimly aware of a couple of voices beyond the wooden frame but she couldn't truly comprehend anything anymore. She felt herself falling away far before the door opened behind her and she felt her back leaning towards the floor.

". . .Mama. . . !" An echo shouted into her ears.

OoO

"Aurora. . . Aurora, dear, wake up. . ." Someone was shaking her poor and tainted frame. She could feel the crusty and cakey layer of mud crumble at their touch and her brow strained to tighten at the feeling, "Honey, please, we need to talk. . ." The voice was now choking in something close to misery.

Wait; that wasn't her mother's voice. . .

"Mrs. Waterflower. . . ? W-what am I doing here. . . ? Where's my mommy?" Her eyes blinked open and she grasped at the light blanket wrapped around her body. She felt a small square something under her palm but she was still too tired to recognize it.

The child blinked again and thought as hard as she could but there seemed to be some wall blocking the access-way to her memories.

"I-I don't remember. . . What happened?" She felt confused and out of place, "Does mama know that I'm here?"

"Aurora, your mom. . . She's gone. . . She's - she's. . . I'm sorry, but I can't give you any details. . ." It came back to her at that moment. She remembered everything from the chase to the return of her broken and dying parent. That's also when she remembered. . .

"M-mommy. . . She wanted me to give this to you. . ." Her voice was lax of most emotion, but not necessarily monotonous, and just strong enough to be heard as she removed what she finally distinguished to be a box from under the light thermal cover. She was attempting to keep herself from crying aloud as she spoke again, "I. . . What should I do. . . ?"

"Robert and I will discuss it. You're welcome to stay here until you feel that it's time to leave for your Pokemon journey. I. . . I know that this will be a hard transition for you but. . . You shouldn't worry; this is your home from now on, so you'll always be welcome here." The woman accepted the box and got up from the bedside chair and headed towards the door leading into the upstairs hallway, "Why don't you take a bath to clean yourself up? It might. . . Make you feel a little better. . ."

The door snapped shut and Aurora was left to sit there alone. She felt the tears gather behind her eyes and sobbed into the pillow tucked under her chin. She didn't know what to do with herself anymore. . . Was it really worth living through all of this? Her mother. . . Gone, forever. . . And she knew that she would only become a burden to the Gym Leading family with her being there.

She rose slowly out of the bed and stood on her nimble and swollen ankles. Everything still ached and her skin was pink around the fresh cuts proving her liable for infection. She sighed sadly from the pain and walked cautiously into the private bathroom across the room.

She turned the tub faucets until the water was at a comfortable temperature and then stripped herself bare. Slowly, her discomfort rising, she sunk into the tub and felt the soothing warm water melt around her flesh. She gave a small moan upon opening her eyes, red blazing before her. Her chest hurt at this point almost constantly from the crying. . . Or lack there-of. She really didn't have it in her anymore.

After washing and rinsing herself clean of the dirt and such, and then sitting in the soft comfort of the warm water until she couldn't stand it anymore, Aurora rose again from the folds of the now-filthy light waves around her.

She wrapped herself in a towel and stood on her feet, stumbling forward a bit before settling against the cool plaster of the wall. She dried herself off and exited through the formerly closed doorway into the bedroom. The sheets had been changed and a fresh set of clothes lay on the bedside chair.

She breathed deeply before settling down, and she picked up the shirt that lay on top. It was a yellow tank top and, underneath, a pair of denim blue-jean shorts. It was just a plain and simple pair of clothes.

Feeling more uneasy, she placed the light material over her eyes and yanked down. The fresh cuts felt like they had been ripped open and the bruises felt as if they were exhausting her with pain.

Soon it was over. She glanced at her reflection on the way downstairs, feeling odd and out of place. The staircase felt like cool steel beneath her feet but the wood was so refreshing that she almost slipped, catching herself just in time.

That was when the voices in the distance stated her name and she froze, interested.

"Aurora's life is in jeopardy! Do you really want to risk her? Do you know how much this box means to the safety of the world! And her mother died to protect it, knowing what it was worth! It's a responsibility that we have to help the girl understand and fulfill. . . !"

"Dammit, Hailey, you make me sound like a cold-hearted bastard! I love Aurora just as much as you do, but do you really think that we should risk our daughters for this? Why didn't Rose turn in the evidence when she had the chance?"

"Because Rose knew that it still wasn't enough, according to the plans on the disc, for the EAB, the final version was to have the Team Rocket logo on it! That the one used to-to get ride of Rose didn't proves that it was just a prototype."

"So. . ."

". . . It's enough to prove that it exists but not enough to tie it to Team Rocket. . . ! Robert. . . I promised Rose that if anything happened to her before she could escape with Aurora, I would take care of her. I swore. . . Don't make me break that promise to her. . ."

The green eye peering through the almost fully-closed doors widened considerably but didn't turn away when a large shadow leant against a chair ahead.

"Of course not. . . You wouldn't let me do so, in any case. Don't worry, I have no place to truthfully contradict your decisions. . ." A sigh, "But you know that she can't keep that identity. . . Pokemon have photographic memories and, if I know Team Rocket, they'll be coming back for her, especially since they left so much of necessity behind them. Aurora can't be Aurora any longer."

"It's alright; I guess that we'll just have to. . ."

The doors behind the two adults burst open and their heads snapped up as though the windows had been shattered. They stared into the eyes of one formerly innocent young girl, whose gaze was not in the present, but was staring at the brutal, dying face of her mother on the lawn outside of their house.

All she was hearing was the labored breathing of her mother, all she was seeing was the chilly fog arising from her paling lips as she slipped away. . .

"Aurora, are you--?"

". . .Not Aurora; not anymore. My name is Misty Waterflower."

OoO

In order to add to her acquired identity, "Misty" threw on a pair of suspenders and a scrunchie to grasp her hair at the side of her head. She proclaimed herself an individual both physically and spiritually.

Robert and Hailey Waterflower attempted to take in the girl as their fourth and youngest daughter but their help was unnecessary in Misty's eyes. And so they lived in a shadow formed by the redhead's past life.

Aurora Williams and any part of her existence disappeared from the face of the planet with the rain from her eighth birthday and, after ten weeks without successfully finding her body, she was presumed dead as well.

Misty spent the rest of her childhood depending on herself. At the age of ten, her "step-parents" were forced to go on the run from Team Rocket just in case they found out about Aurora's non-death. They took the evidence with them, leaving Misty with nothing left. She accepted the news in her own way, refusing to remain in the sixteen year old Daisy's care and starting off on a Pokemon Journey with her Staryu and a new bicycle as her company. While gone, she managed to catch a Starmie and a Goldeen, but nothing that would help her with the plan concocting inside of her head.

She grew into loathing the word "Rocket" and anything associated with it. When she met the boy, Ash Ketchum, her future best friend, she hated him as well, and so he became the electric tower for her to vent her anger on. But the goodness she soon noticed glowing within him caught her attention. And so she stuck out a few weeks with him, hoping that his friendship would help her live the life she'd sorely missed with her mothers' death.

But then Brock joined the group, and they decided to head to Cerulean City, the place she'd called home during her early years and the place she'd run away from in order to retain her sanity.

But Ash didn't know what had happened to her and she sure as hell wasn't going to tell him. She'd valued his opinion of her, believe it or not, so she wouldn't cloud his judgement of her by spouting her tale of cowardice.

So they arrived in Cerulean, Ash's one and only intention being to stop at the gym there and gain his second official Kanto league badge. She let him go alone because she didn't want to face her siblings' ridicule and she hoped her name wouldn't be mentioned. But something unknown to her drew her back to that place in the end.

"I'm here to win a Cascade Badge!"

"Like, I'm sorry but we've already, like, been beaten by three other trainers today. . . Seel is, like, the only Pokemon we have, like, available. . ." A flash of red light later and a puny water-type Pokemon appeared before the Pallet town native, ". . .And he's not a, like, really formidable battler."

"Awe, but I really need that badge to get into the Pokemon league. . . !"

"Well, how about we just, like, give you the badge? I mean, it would have been a victory of yours anyway, I'm, like, sure. . ."

"But, well. . . I'd rather win by a Pokemon battle, than just taking the badge for free. . . It feels more like cheating this way--"

"--Then don't worry about it! I'll take you on, Ash Ketchum!" The distant shout came from the stands around the arena.

"Mwah! Is that. . . Misty?"

The redhead leapt down from her place on the highest level of benches and came to a stand-still in front of Ash, her hands on her hips.

"Misty, what are you doing here?" Misty did an anime fall and, after recovering, glared at Ash for his dense attitude, "And what do you mean, you'll battle me?"

Misty took a small step backwards, finally aware of just what she was facing. The three reasons for her departure from Cerulean were staring right at her and she had nothing to say to them.

"Hmph! It's not like I wanted to come back; the only reason I'm here is because he needs to win one of our badges!"

"'Our'? What do you mean, 'our', Misty?" Ash asked.

"Well, Ash, since you need it to be spelt out for you. . . Allow me to introduce the four Cerulean Sensational Sister gym leaders!"

From behind Daisy, Lilly leant in and whispered into Violet's ear, "You mean the three Sensational Sisters and the runt. . . !" A glance of bitterness was shot in Misty's direction.

Misty sighed.

Lilly and Violet had been barely twelve years old when their parents had been forced to go into hiding, thanks to Misty's burden, so they didn't fully understand why it had to be done. By the time a few years had gone by, that confusion had turned to anger and soon after that, it had set in so strongly that not even the most profound knowledge could help to alter their opinions.

"I'm not a runt. . . !" Misty shouted.

"Wait. . . Misty, these three girls are your sisters?" But Ash's final realization was left to itself as the three youngest members of the dysfunctional Waterflower family started to argue.

After Ash and Misty had started their battle, which was then interrupted by Team Rocket's fumbling attempt to steal their Pokemon, and then Ash's, er. . . "Victory" and the gaining of his badge, Daisy pulled Misty aside while Lilly and Violet attempted to stun a dully bored Ash with their ballet and swimming moves.

"Listen, Au - I mean - Misty. . . Like, last week, my parents sent us something. They're fine, like, at this point--!" The oldest sister stated hurriedly, because Misty looked panic-stricken "--But they told me that they, like, were going to have to 'fall off of the face of the', like, 'planet'. . . That means no more, like, staying in contact with us. . ." Suddenly Lilly's and Violet's expressions of venom were clearly justified, "They sent you something, though. I, like, saved it for you. . . Here. . ." Daisy, who had moved to the cabinet to remove some anonymous thing from its' depths, returned to her side and held it out to her, "Do you, like, remember it?"

Misty stared at the small, blood-stained box, horribly maniacal memories flashing before her minds' eye, all of her mother's death. This was the box she'd been given that very morning, the one that contained such evidence so as to execute Team Rocket.

Shakily holding out her hands to grasp it, she asked, ". . .So they're finally giving it to me? It's my responsibility now, after all of these years?" Daisy nodded and Misty, feeling desperately sick to the stomach more than anything else, felt a single tear falling from her own eye as she was embraced by her oldest sister.

"There's, like, something else, as well. . . Mom and dad, our parents. . ." Misty's heart swelled gratefully at the comment, "They told me to tell you that they, like, love you. . . I had to burn the letter, of course, to keep our, like, necks away from the Rocket guillotine, but. . . They don't want you to, like, blame yourself. . . Like, whatever happens to them, it was still their, like, decision above anything else that allowed them to, like, do this for you. And I don't want you to, like, blame yourself either. . ." There was a stiff, uncomfortable silence that followed this statement.

"You were always my favorite, Daisy." Misty managed to joke weakly with a small wink.

"Oh, like, really? I daresay that I, like, don't have much to call competition. . ." They both glanced in the direction of the arena, where Violet and Lilly were chasing after Ash as though he were some rotten thief and shouting things such as the perfect brand and type of blemish concealer to cover up a zit that was starting to appear.

Suddenly, the weight of reality caught up to them again and Misty cleared her throat.

"Look, Daisy, I'm. . . Uh. . . I was sort of hoping that I could. . . You know. . . Keep traveling. I mean, not necessarily with Ash, since he's a boy and maybe there's something wrong with that, but. . . At least, if I'm on the road constantly, I can keep you all safe from Team Rocket, and. . ."

"--Like, Misty, don't try to excuse yourself like that. If you've found a friend in this, like, Ash kid then I won't, like, tell you that it's better to leave him alone. I think that staying with--" She was interrupted by the boy of which they spoke.

"Ack! Misty, there you are! C'mon, we gotta go before your crazy sisters come back with their crazy family films about their crazy underwater ballet performances! I don't wanna be here anymore!" He took her hand and began to try and pull her away while Daisy continued what she'd been saying.

"--I think that, like, staying with someone you can, like, care for so innocently is one of the, like, few things that can make your life a little easier. . ." The older blonde eyed the young girl, who'd turned slightly red in the face (whether out of anger or embarrassment was unsure), and winked with subtle intention.

"Eh. . . ! Don't read too much into it, please! We get that already by almost everyone we meet. . . !" Misty pulled her hand out of Ash's grip and it joined her other as she shook them rapidly in front of her face in panic, "And Ash, c'mon! This is my family, after all. . ." Misty almost choked on the word but avoided it just in time, "I haven't seen them in awhile. . . ! What would you do if I shoved you away from your mother after you'd gone so long without seeing her face to face? Let me spend a few minutes with my sisters in peace."

"Awe, but Misty, they scare me! Even more than you! And how can you be related to them at all? You all are nothing alike. . ." Misty was glancing at him, half-exasperated, half-angry. He'd obviously struck a cord with her.

"Look, Ash, if you're so terrified of us, then go wait at the Pokemon Center. Brock should be finished with getting supplies soon and I'll only be fifteen minutes, tops," Ash gave her a skeptical glance, "Please. . . Just give me this. . ."

". . .Eck; whatever. Just don't say that I never gave you anything. It's. . ." He checked the clock on the wall, ". . .Almost one p.m. I was hoping to head out towards Vermilion City before the day's over, so try not to take too long, okay?" And without waiting for an answer, he ran out of the front door of the gym.

"Such a self-obsessive, it's so irritating!" Misty stuck out her tongue at his shadow before turning back to her sister and guardian, "But, anyway, can you tell me how they are? Healthwise? And what about possible return date?"

"Listen, Aurora. . . Misty. . . Mom and dad were sighted and recognized by a Team Rocket troop as friends of the deceased Rose. They wouldn't have sent you that box if they could have avoided it but since, like, communication is pretty much deadly between us these, like, days, they had no choice. But, besides having to face the world for, like, and unprecedented amount of time without any, like, modern convenience, they're fine. They, like, told me to wish you luck on your journey. . . And, well, there was, like, something else. . ." Daisy broke off and bit her bottom lip, unsure of if she should continue, ". . . That box. . . Your mother - when she did what she did, it. . . Well, she knew that there was a chance that she might not make it out alive. . . So she wrote you a letter in case you ever came to be the one in possession of it. . ."

"Wh-what. . . !"

"No one read it; it was specifically, like, addressed to you. . . But you need to know that it's very likely that, like, it won't be full of jolly holiday greetings. Just be aware, okay?"

"Uhm. . . Look Daisy, this has been fun, really, but I'm due to be back at the Pokemon Center in a few minutes. I'm gonna go. . ." Misty discarded the box roughly into her red bag and took off for the door, "I promise to stay in touch!"

Misty didn't open the box right away for fear that Ash or Brock would notice. In fact, it wasn't until she'd reached the town featuring the Kanto Princess Pageant. It was while in the small shopping center dressing room that she found the time to rip off the cover and look inside.

The words of her mother weren't able to make her cry like she'd hoped they would. No affectionate or loving proclamations were visible and any statements she read seemed. . . Obligatory, or empty of sentiment. Misty didn't let this knowledge hack her down; at least, not noticeably in front of her friends.

It's not as if she doesn't love you. . .

She reminded herself over and over.

She had been given specific directions of what to do with the evidence left in her hands. She had to find some full-proof way of hiding the steel bullet away because, otherwise, none of them would be safe for as long as Team Rocket was still in existence.

But she currently didn't have the physical leverage to keep it properly contained.

Almost two years later, she came across the perfect Pokemon to help her keep the single object desired of Team Rocket away from their sights. The name of the distinct creature was Corsola, and its value to her was indescribable. Half water type and half rock, it was the only possible solution. Because of its stone-like hyde, if she could part a seam in the flesh, she could place the EAB inside. Now knowing what the EAB was in general relation (as described by her mother), she knew how dangerous it would be if Team Rocket's top-notch executives found out that she was really Aurora Williams, let alone that she held the one thing that could destroy them.

It took her forever to come across one of the Corsola of the Jhoto region, their homeland, especially since they only lived near the sea. After she caught one, however, she couldn't help but feel disgusted about what she had to do to her newest friend.

". . .Guys, I'm going out, okay. . . ? To get some fresh air or something. . ." She didn't want to alert her friends to the truth of the matter but she had no other way to go about escaping them.

"Uhm, okay Misty. . . But you know, we could look after your bag for you while you're gone. . . What do you need it for?" Ash stated. Misty would have thrown him off with a snide comment, but Brock's curiosity also seemed to be peaked.

"I, uh, wanted my Pokemon to get introduced to Corsola. But, uh, if you don't mind, could you take care of Togepi for me? She already knows him well enough." More like she didn't want such a young child witnessing its mother commit such a crime.

"Oh; okay. . ." They still seemed slightly suspicious but Brock rose from his seat to take the baby from her hands. After all, what reason did they have to doubt her?

"Thanks, guys. . ." She didn't meet their eyes as she left the center and they knew nothing from then, on.

About an hour later, she sat next to the ocean waves, Corsola's Pokeball in her hand. How could she explain to a Pokemon that she'd not yet made a bond with that she needed such a huge life-threatening favor from him?

"Oh, well. . . Gotta do it sometime. . . Misty calls. . ." She got to her feet and posed to throw the Pokeball, ". . .Corsola!" There was a flash of red light and the Pokemon appeared, glossy and apparently ready for battle.

"Cor. . . !" He turned to his master who, indeed, looked as though she were close to tears, "Corsola?"

"No, um, don't worry about me. . . I just. . . Look, Corsola, come here. . ." She collapsed back to the ground and withdrew from her bag another item; what appeared to be a completely ordinary bottle of water, "I need something from you. Do you know what this is?" She held up the bottle and removed the lid, "This is water from the legendary spring of Celebi. I got it when we met a friend of ours, on one of our adventures. . . It's used for a lot of human and Pokemon healing methods and potions. . . But when this water touches the hyde of a rock or ground-type Pokemon, the positive potential of this water. . . It's special properties. . . Are reversed."

Corsola didn't look like he fully understood, but he was getting there, and he looked terrified.

"I-I need to pour this water onto your back and open an internal wound. . . Please. . . The lives of everyone I know are counting on you." Corsola was back to being thoroughly confused now, but most of the fear that had been in his eyes was gone, "Will you please allow me to trust in you the lives of everyone important to me. . . ? I know that it will hurt but. . . I promise you that it's only to be done as necessary. After I apply the water. . . You can use your 'Recover' technique to heal yourself as much as you can while I place this. . ." She held up the EAB, its surface glowing against the early evening light, ". . .Under your skin so that they can't find it. If Team Rocket realizes that I've given it to you. . . But they won't." Misty rationalized as she shook her head in assurance, "Please know that, if you do this for me, if, at some point, I find another piece of evidence that perfectly identifies Team Rocket as the creators of this, I'll have to reopen that wound again and remove the EAB so that I can turn it over to the authorities as the weapon that terminated my. . . Rose Williams."

It had always been easier for her to discuss her mother when she called her by her full name and not by their relation. Perhaps it was because she felt estranged to her in that way, as she was now "Misty Waterflower", and not "Aurora Williams". She was alienated somehow from her former identity. . . Was it possible that Aurora Williams was truly dead after all. . . ?

". . .Cor. . . ?" The weak comment woke her from her reverie and Misty looked to the pale salmon and snow-gray shelled character before her, who was staring into her face with a resolute expression, "Cor Corsola!"

"Thank you. . . Friend, you have no idea how many lives you're saving." And so she set to work. She drew a spare shirt from her bag and dripped some water onto the cloth before applying it softly to Corsola's back. The Pokemon's screech made her flinch and she turned away for the first five seconds as her closed eyes forced threatening tears back behind her lips. Blindly, she grabbed at the ground, stumbling until she found the water bottle and preparing to dump a good amount over the creature's searing flesh.

A type of thick steam rose in a narrow layer into the air and Misty, trying to avoid it, toppled over in her rush. She noticed suddenly that her hand had swung unconsciously to pet the creatures' head in an attempt to quell the desperate and pained cries.

Her face contorting in disgust about what she had to do, Misty plunged her fingers into the depths' of the gash she'd made in the hyde beforehand and shuddered as she parted the innards to make room for the EAB prototype. Corsola shrieked again as she did so but followed that motion by smiling reassuringly at his master. Misty didn't have the heart to return it.

"Just. . . A little. . . More. . . !" Misty pulled back to take a deep breath and pick up the bullet before carefully and slowly forcing it in between the tissue and muscles and collapsed backwards, "N-now, Corsola, use 'Recover' the best that you can and then I'll get you to the Pokemon Center. . ."

Corsola nodded before following the command of its trainer but was stopped short when a voice called out.

"Misty, is that you. . . ?" It was Ash. Misty had just enough time to pack away the suspicious products she'd had back into her bag before he came into clear view of her, "Oh, good, it was your Corsola. I - wait - what's wrong?" His eyes traveled from Misty's sweaty brow to her scattered supplies to the blood dripping from her hands to the Pokemon leaning on the ground, precariously close to losing consciousness, "What happened here!"

"Uh. . . Eh. . . T-Team Rocket. They came out of nowhere - tried to capture Corsola - hurt him bad - I couldn't. . ." Misty spoke in broken sentences but he got the gist. It was the only excuse she had, and it was believable.

Ash seemed to be trying to hold something back but his emotional dam broke moments later, "You're not hurt, though, are you?" After she shook her head, he sighed and smiled reassuringly before stepping forward and laying a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay, Misty. I mean, if you couldn't prevent Team Rocket's attack. . . Let's just get him to the Center before he gets hurt even worse. . ." Misty could tell that, though visibly calm, Ash's eyes were holding an anger close to the unimaginably strong, "I'm surprised about how calm you are about all of this, you know?"

"Uh, y-yea. . . I guess that it-it's more of a relapse than anything. . . Return, Corsola!" She called back her Pokemon and picked up her bag before starting to run ahead of her friend. She didn't want Corsola to get hurt anymore. . . She had to deal with this now.

"Hey, Myst, wait up!" She halted suddenly, her heart racing at the sound of the name. He'd never called her that before now, "Uh. . . I-I thought that it would look good on you, s-so to say. . ." He continued sheepishly at her expression.

"Please, don't call me that. . ." Her voice was low, cold, and sharp but Ash still managed to hear her loud and clear. He was going to ask her about her reaction but she'd already started running towards the Center doors, "Nurse Joy; do you think that you could heal my Corsola? He's wounded pretty badly. . . !" She called desperately upon her reentry, and the female nurse, without asking any questions, set out to work.

It turned out that Corsola would need special treatment in order to heal correctly, and when Team Rocket attacked for the first time since that day, Ash kicked their butt three times as hard. Misty felt her heartbeat pick up again during that blasting-off, knowing that Ash, under the assumption that Jessie and James had been the ones to injure her Pokemon, was doing it for her.

They hadn't talked much since the night of the "attack" but she did find it in herself to thank him for what he'd done. When she did, he made it look as though he had no idea what she was talking about, but that was probably because Brock was watching the spectacle. Ash did give her a small smile as she turned her head.

But all of that had taken place almost two years ago. Misty had long-since returned to an empty gym to take it over while her sisters had gone, traveled to the Hoenn region and given up her Togepi to its paradise, and then returned to the gym again, subdued by the loss of her "child" and the thought of the anniversary that approached.

The next day would be a silent statement to the world; it would mark the ninth year since her mother's death, along with her seventeenth birthday. Her sisters were going to be returning from one of their trips and, as a gift, she would be allowed to start traveling again. Now that Daisy was a more competent trainer, she felt okay about it.

But those plans were to be executed in a different fashion than she'd originally hoped.

It was 3:13 a.m. when she poked her eyes open. The air around her was stiff, cold, and thick with tension. Her sights were limited in the dark but as she moved to turn on the light, something sharp cut into her flesh, soliciting a small yelp from her. Before she even had a chance to try and stop the blood-flow, a hand wrapped around the back of her neck and tightened in a fierce grip, making her flinch.

"Scream and won't even live to see the light of another day. . ." The growl of a voice and the raspy breath tickled her ear but her throat constricted in disgust and fear, "Good job, Ratticate. . ." She could feel his smirk, "No you, child, are going to get out of bed and show me to the place where you keep your Pokemon. Then you're going to show me the box. If you're lucky, we'll leave here without anymore blood being shed."

Misty trembled despite the voice in her head telling her to be brave. Perhaps it was because she was just a cowardly rookie trainer compared to these Team Rocket members; or maybe it had to do with the fact that she was in this situation yet again after so many years; or, quite possibly, it had to do with the fact that she knew that voice. After such a long while, she still remembered it.

After all, how could she ever forget the voice of the man who destroyed her life; the man who killed her mother?

Numbly, Misty got out of bed and stood on her feet. She could feel the blood dripping around her ankles as she headed out into the upstairs hallways and down the staircase. The hand curled around her neck was gone, but now she could feel the cold steel of a gun in its place.

Misty sighed as she walked behind the large desk just inside the lobby of the gym. The man standing at her back had begun a one way conversation. There were subtle whispers in the background that justified what she'd figured all along, that being that this man wasn't alone.

"You know, your mother was a very proud and loyal member of Team Rocket until she found out about you. . ." The man sounded smug and conniving. Misty tried to ignore his voice, but the words were another story, "What did she name you, kid?"

After swallowing the lump in her throat, Misty attempted an answer, "I don't know what you're talking about. . . Sir. My name is Misty Waterflower. My family owns this gym." The charade had to be kept up at all costs. . .

"--I damn well know who the Waterflowers are! But we both know that you're not a blood relative to this family. . ." Misty stilled as she knelt to her knees and began to figure the combination to the lockbox that she kept her Pokemon in. She worked as slowly as possible so that she could try to think of a plan but the pain in her arm was too hard to ignore at this point. He saw her reaction and continued, "Tell me, what is your real name? How much light did she fixate on your being? As much Hell as you were - you did destroy her life - she tried to find some good in you . . . In the least amount of expectance. . . A rape child, a dawn of light?"

Misty froze completely as all of the anonymous bodies and voices shook with laughter, which ricocheted around her head along with his words. Slowly, she undid the lock to the safe and inserted her hand but didn't yet draw anything out.

"What was that. . . ?" She asked hesitantly. She felt that anymore striking news would send her overboard.

"You did know, didn't you? When a new Rocket member is initiated, he or she must swear to serve the leader Giovanni in any way they can. Your mother did more than just steal Pokemon and develop futuristic technology. . . She laid down before the man and left him take her. . . Repeatedly, at that! Perhaps the little whore enjoyed his routines with her, eh. . . !"

"Sh-shut it, you asshole!" Misty removed her arm from the lockbox and swung it at him, hitting him forcefully in the jaw. Immediately, everything went silent.

". . .You are the same, you little bitch. . . C'mere. . . !" He grabbed her injured arm, making her hiss in pain, and dragged her away from the desk, ". . .You lot, round up the whatever's in that safe and then wait for me in the blimp. I plan to take care of the girl, myself." For the first time, Misty was able to see the man's face, and she blanched again and looked away at the sight of the manic grin apparent there, ". . .I'm just going to allow you to follow in the footsteps of your mother. . ." He whispered malevolently into her ear and Misty's eyes widened in understanding of his plans.

He pulled her into the gym arena and threw her harshly to the linoleum floor. The blood from her new wound smeared around her body as he nailed her to her position. She thrashed her body weight around as much as possible but it seemed to have no effect. The Rocket executive dropped to a few millimeters above her face and licked at her lips before forcing her into a kiss that nauseated her entire being.

She felt him groping at her chest, his gloved hands rubbing anxiously at the clothed flesh before moving himself down to below her waist to push up her nightshirt. Loosening his grip on her, she saw an opening and took it before he'd even realized what had happened.

"Go, Gyarados!" The giant serpent Pokemon appeared in a flash of red light and looked down upon its master for a command, "Help me, please! Use 'Iron Tail'!"

The Rocket looked up in horror at the gigantic creature before him. Gyarados bared its fans at him as it descended upon his frozen form.

The man leapt up on numb and weak legs and attempted to run for it but he was caught off guard by the impact of a steel-like fin crushing his spine. The crack resounded around the room like a lone fire cracker and the Rocket shrieked in agony as the force of the attack sent him reeling into the air and through a glass-paned window.

She could hear the shouts from the outside and the panic and anger. Quickly, she pulled herself onto the Pokemon's back before making an order.

"Okay, Gyarados, we need to get outside so that we can get our friends back from Team Rocket, alright?" Gyarados growled in response and nodded its massive head, "Good. Okay. . . Gyarados, go through the front doors and open fire with a 'Whirl Pool' attack!" Another growl and nod and they made their way outside where an army of poison, paralysis, and other adversary Pokemon stood awaiting them.

The torn and bloody torso of the deceased leader lay almost seventy-five feet away but the other members looked hell-bent on avenging him.

Gyarados' eyes glowed red and, almost immediately, the water from the Cerulean cape swept itself up into a strong party of twisters. They moved forward, completely under the control of the Pokemon, and separated from their single row in order to group around the men and women. They joined again as one and forced the Rockets into a small area before they screamed and were swept up into the funnel.

It lasted for only a minute before the lack of water and surface forced the tornado to slowly dissipate. The black-uniformed bodies fell the one hundred meters to the ground and crumpled in a heap, the bag holding Misty's captured Pokemon landing beside them.

Misty managed to slowly make her way to the ground and use part of her nightshirt to finally wrap up her wound. She picked up the bag of Pokeballs and turned to face her Gyarados.

"We've got to move quickly, alright? I need to get dressed and write a letter to Daisy and the others then put up notice that the gym will be temporarily closed. If one Team Rocket troop can get into the building, others will definitely follow. Gyarados, do you think that you can search around the outskirts of town for a reliable Pidgey or Pidgeotto? I'll send Politoad to help. Bring what you find ASAP, okay?"

After releasing the frog-like Pokemon from its Pokeball and shooing the two Pokemon off, Misty turned to the gym and ran inside to her room. She threw some clothes over her body, making sure to watch her arm, and ran into the bathroom to find a travel-size First Aid kit. After that, she found a couple of extra outfits in her closet, placed them in her bag before sitting at her desk and beginning a letter to Daisy, Violet, and Lilly, telling them about what had happened without detail.

She left out the part about what had almost happened to her. . . She didn't need anymore sympathy in life at this point. . . But she had to warn them not to return.

Misty pulled from her desk drawer five-hundred dollars from her Pokemon battle winnings and stuffed the rest in her pocket.

With the letter packed in a small envelope accompanied by the earnings, a peck at her window signaled Gyarados and Politoads' success. She picked up the envelope and her bad and ran down the stairs and through the front doors, locking them behind her.

"Gyarados, Politoad; return. . . !" Holding out the two Pokeballs, she accepted her two friends back into their barings, ". . .And thank you. . ."

A Pidgeotto fluttered down to her side and she kneeled down beside it, pulling out a couple of photo's and, after folding one of them up and placing it back with her things, showed it to him.

"Okay, see this girl?" The picture was a main focus of Daisy, Violet, and Lilly, and her finger, of course, was pointing to the blonde, "I need you to head out to the Cerulean Bay and give this to her when she steps up onto the dock; please?"

The Pidgeotto nodded affirmatively and obediently and cooed at her before allowing her to tie the message to his ankle. Then he took off into the air and Misty turned to the Pokemon Center to heal her Pokemon.

There were only a few people that she could go to at this point.

She was going to Hoenn.

OoOoO

Notes

- Okay, first off, let me just apologize to those of you who requested a sample of this fic and didn't get it; and there are quite a few. The thing is, I started writing this fic up once while at the library since my home computer was down at the time, and then the floppy disk that I was saving it on stopped working, so I couldn't open the file. The thing is, the sample that I was trying to send you all was on that disk. I've finally gotten my computer working at home (old... slow... computer), only when I tried to look up your email addresses on the picture-emails didn't come in. I apologize, but there was nothing I could do. If there's someway that you'd like me to try and make it up to you, please let me know in your review.

Second of all, about the length of the fic. I know that a lot of readers like quick and easy chapters, but I have to say that I pride myself on my pages upon pages of writing. I know that this is a bit of a leap from "Closure" and "Possibilities", but I can't change the amount of words per chapter to match every readers' personality. Please don't hold it against me. Also, if you have any questions about the chapters while reading them, you can post those questions in your review and I'll be glad to reply to them in the following installation. Unless I plan on detailing them later in the fic, that is.

Another thing about the fic; because the chapters are so long, and because I plan to keep them that long, I can't be sure how fast I'll be able to update. I know this is upsetting, but I have next to no life, so lucky for you all, I spend most of my time in front of the computer screen. This chapter's taken me about... Five (?) hours... To type up, so perhaps the next one won't take much longer. However, I've only finished writing up the first two parts, and the third is in the process of completion.